esies
Of The Christian Church PART 3
by Robert Elsner “My Lord and my God.”1 The penalties for not performing this rite ranged from fines to confiscation of property to execution of the Christian and sometimes the whole family. Needless to say, many people would rather burn some incense rather than to see their families impoverished or put to death. Those who burnt the incense may or may not have given up the faith and none but they could say which. Although this was the last of the great persecutions of Christians within the hundred-year span they were politically persecuted, it is the basis for our narrative that we have always been persecuted greatly within the Empire and within the world.2 Some key dates for Puritanism (aka “later Donatism”):
1. This should sound familiar as John 20:28: Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 2. Not to say that Christians were not persecuted in other countries and in other parts of the world, where such still happens today. Where we get our history and how we extrapolate it is the question presented here. knight templar
249-250 Roman Emperor Decian began to persecute Christians, and that caused many Christians to “lapse,” i.e., deny the faith to save their lives and property 251
Novatian teaches that the lapsed should not be readmitted to the church; some Christians admit the lapsed on easy terms
252
Cyprian argues for middle view: penance for the lapsed
255-256 Some African bishops insist on rebaptism of heretics and schismatics; Rome disagrees 311
Donatists refuse to accept new bishop of Carthage because he “handed over” the Scriptures under persecution; they consecrate a rival bishop
312-313 Diocletian persecutions 314
Council of Arles condemns Donatism 9